Leon Ashkenazi (Manitou)
Encyclopedia
Rav Yehuda Leon Ashkenazi (French spelling Léon Askénazi), also known as Manitou (born June 21, 1922 in Oran
, Algiers
; died October 21, 1996 in Jerusalem, Israel
), a Jewish philosopher and educator, was a spiritual leader of 20th century French Jewry.
He was born in Algiers to Rav David Ashkenazi, the last Chief Rabbi
of Algiers, and Rachel Touboul, a descendant of a prestigious Rabbinical line of Spanish kabbalic scholars - one of its ancestors was Rav Yossef Ibn Touboul, a direct disciple of the Ha'ari
, and another was Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel
, 'The Rosh', a prominent Ashkenazi leader of 13th century Spain. However her education was western.
Rav Ashkenazi studied simultaneously in Yeshivah and in French secular high school
in Oran
, and Kabbalah
in Marrakech
, Morocco
. He studied philosophy
and psychology
in the University of Algiers
, and later, when he moved to France
, philosophy
, ethnology
and anthropology
in the Sorbonne
in Paris
.
He was recruited to the French Foreign Legion
in 1943, served in the infantry and was wounded in the battle of Strasbourg
. After the Second World War was over, he immigrated to France
. There he joined the Jewish Scouts of France, where he was given the nickname 'Manitou
', which in Indian Mythology means 'Spirit' or 'The Great Spirit'. In 1946, to the call of Robert 'Castor' Gamzon, he joined the School of Young Jewish Leadership in Orsay, near Paris (1946–1969), which aspired to establish a Jewish spiritual leadership instead of the one perished in the Holocaust. He met his wife, Mrs. Ester 'Bambi', as well as studied from his teacher and mentor in Orsay, Jacob Gordin.
After teaching for a few years, Rav Ashkenazi became principal of the Orsay school in 1951, with Prof. Andre Neher as president. In the following years, his involvement in the Jewish community further grew as he became president of the Jewish Students Organization (UEJF, 1950–1955), Jewish Scouts Movement (EIF, 1955-6), and established the Center of Academic Jewish Studies (CUEJ, 1958–67).
As a intellectual figure Rav Ashkenazi influenced the French School of Jewish Thought (L'ecole de Pensée Juive de Paris), a spiritual and intellectual movement which developed in Orsay and later around the Annual French Jewish Intellectuals Conferences, and aimed at reviving Post-Holocaust French Jewry from its ashes. Its main goal was to understand and transmit the Jewish thought of the Torah
through the use of European, universal, academic, modern thought. Its leading figures were Rav Leon Ashkenazi, Prof. Emmanuel Levinas
, Prof. André Neher
, Prof. Éliane Amado Levy-Valensi
, writer Elie Wiesel
, writer Albert Memmi
and many others.
Meeting Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook
and Rav Baruch Ashlag
who introduced to him the thought of their prestigious fathers, Rav Kook and Rav Yehuda Ashlag
, influenced Rav Ashkenazi's thought and in 1968, following the Six Days War, he made Aliya
, moved to Jerusalem and became a central figure in the Israel
i-Francophone
community. He established Ma'ayanot Institute for Jewish Studies and Yair Center for young Jewish leadership after the manner of Orsay. He emphasized that Am Israel's return to Zion had been prophesized by the great prophets of the Bible, that it constitutes part of the cycle of Redemption
in the history of the Jewish nation, and that the ones who do not participate in this movement miss one of the most significant crossroads in the history of the Jewish people.
He contributed to the field of inter-religion discourse, traveling yearly to Cameroon
, to the request of Cameroon's President Paul Biya
, who was interested in being acquainted with the Bible
and the history of the Jewish people. He met with the Dalai Lama
, Tibet
's exiled leader, and held close contacts with many Christian priests, among which was Prof. Marcel-Jacques Dubois. He received many awards, among them the Israeli Knesset Award in 1990. In 1996 he died and was eulogized by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
, Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Since he taught mainly in French
, his thought remained concealed to Non-French speakers during his lifetime. However, following the translation and publication of his lectures in Hebrew, Rav Ashkenazi's thought continues to gain new audiences to this day. His disciples and colleagues, such as Rav Shlomo Aviner
, Rav Eliyahu Zini, Rav Uri Sherki, Rav Yehoshua Tzukerman, Rav Yossef Atoun, Prof. Benjamin Gross, Prof. Moshe Halamish and many more, continue to spread his teachings to Israeli audiences.
Jewish heritage and Modern thought and values, while remaining loyal to both. This achievement was what drew wide and diverse audiences to his lectures. Rav Ashkenazi used traditional methods of Drash
to introduce new ways of understanding Judaism
, while using concepts and ideas taken from Kabbalah
, Midrash
, Hassidut and Gemara
.
Theory of Engenderment ("Torat Ha'Toladot" תורת התולדות)
Manitou's main effort was focused on understanding history
, in Hebrew 'Toladot' - 'Engenderment', through the Torah
, especially through the Book of Genesis, which relates the beginning of human history. The principles of this study were that the Bible
is the centre and source of the faith, inspiration and power of the people of Israel, and that, since the Bible was transmitted by the Creator in a moment of historical epiphany, it constitutes the only valid overview of history and its purpose. In other words, history can be read and understood retrospectively only when reading the Torah, in the notion of the verse "This is the book of the generations of Man" (Genesis 5:1).
Indeed the first twenty generations of humanity present Human genealogy
on to Hebrew genealogy
; however, each generation in its turn also symbolizes a unique human identity
which has meaning and relevance to modern life. According to this view, biblical figures are the origins of nowadays identities and situations and reappear throughout history on an individual
, social
and national
basis. The same is true when understanding the existential connections between father and son, teacher and pupil, and the conflict between rivals.
Thus, history is not simply a series of historic events, wars and cultural shifts, but of the metamorphosis
and stages of the human identity. Each civilization
in its turn brings into human history the drama of the progression and development of human identity
, until humanity is able at last to produce a 'whole' and moral human consciousness, which is the purpose of history.
Monotheism and morals
Rav Ashkenazi claimed that only when acknowledging himself as created, can man develop a true and firm moral agenda. According to kabbalic
ideas, Man
was created and put into This World
in order to acquire the life he had received as a gift from his Creator
, achieving this by treating others with the moral dignity and ethical respect that such gift demanded. As Rav Ashkenazi applied a metahistorical
and ethical
terminology to Kabbalic
principles, he managed all the while to connect the abstract framework of Kabbalah
to the moral mundane activities of the Jewish believer. Monotheism
becomes the basis for morals, and morals are a crucial element of monotheism.
From Jewish to Hebrew Identity
The theory of Engenderment ultimately focuses on Jewish identity. Manitou discusses a 'Hebrew Identity', the heritage that constituted the continuity of the Jewish identity throughout history, since Abraham the Hebrew
, through Exile
when it transformed into a diasporic, religion
-focused Jewish
identity which constituted the consciousness of the Jewish people for two thousand years, and until once again it transformed into a nation
al, Israel
i identity. Upon Kibbutz Galuyot - the return and gathering of the exiled communities in Israel
, the Jewish people has the opportunity to bring together the different 'ways of life', or the diverse identities it gathered during its Exile
among the nations, and begin World Peace within itself.
French
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
; died October 21, 1996 in Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
), a Jewish philosopher and educator, was a spiritual leader of 20th century French Jewry.
Life and Endeavors
Rav Ashkenazi's life encompassed two different cultures, which resulted in his ability to bridge Western and Jewish frames of mind.He was born in Algiers to Rav David Ashkenazi, the last Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of Algiers, and Rachel Touboul, a descendant of a prestigious Rabbinical line of Spanish kabbalic scholars - one of its ancestors was Rav Yossef Ibn Touboul, a direct disciple of the Ha'ari
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
, and another was Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel
Asher ben Jehiel
Asher ben Jehiel- Ashkenazi was an eminent rabbi and Talmudist best known for his abstract of Talmudic law. He is often referred to as Rabbenu Asher, “our Rabbi Asher” or by the Hebrew acronym for this title, the ROSH...
, 'The Rosh', a prominent Ashkenazi leader of 13th century Spain. However her education was western.
Rav Ashkenazi studied simultaneously in Yeshivah and in French secular high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
in Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, and Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
in Marrakech
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. He studied philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
in the University of Algiers
University of Algiers
The University of Algiers Benyoucef Benkhedda is a university located in Algiers, Algeria. It was founded in 1909 and is organized into seven faculties.-History:...
, and later, when he moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
and anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
in the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
He was recruited to the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
in 1943, served in the infantry and was wounded in the battle of Strasbourg
Battle of Strasbourg
The Battle of Strasbourg, also known as the Battle of Argentoratum, was fought in 357 between the Late Roman army under the Caesar Julian and the Alamanni tribal confederation led by the joint paramount king Chnodomar...
. After the Second World War was over, he immigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. There he joined the Jewish Scouts of France, where he was given the nickname 'Manitou
Manitou
Manitou is a general term for spirit beings among many Algonquian Native American groups.Manitou may also refer to:- Geography :* Manitou, Manitoba, Canada* Manitou, Kentucky, USA* Manitou, Oklahoma, USA- Other uses :...
', which in Indian Mythology means 'Spirit' or 'The Great Spirit'. In 1946, to the call of Robert 'Castor' Gamzon, he joined the School of Young Jewish Leadership in Orsay, near Paris (1946–1969), which aspired to establish a Jewish spiritual leadership instead of the one perished in the Holocaust. He met his wife, Mrs. Ester 'Bambi', as well as studied from his teacher and mentor in Orsay, Jacob Gordin.
After teaching for a few years, Rav Ashkenazi became principal of the Orsay school in 1951, with Prof. Andre Neher as president. In the following years, his involvement in the Jewish community further grew as he became president of the Jewish Students Organization (UEJF, 1950–1955), Jewish Scouts Movement (EIF, 1955-6), and established the Center of Academic Jewish Studies (CUEJ, 1958–67).
As a intellectual figure Rav Ashkenazi influenced the French School of Jewish Thought (L'ecole de Pensée Juive de Paris), a spiritual and intellectual movement which developed in Orsay and later around the Annual French Jewish Intellectuals Conferences, and aimed at reviving Post-Holocaust French Jewry from its ashes. Its main goal was to understand and transmit the Jewish thought of the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
through the use of European, universal, academic, modern thought. Its leading figures were Rav Leon Ashkenazi, Prof. Emmanuel Levinas
Emmanuel Lévinas
Emmanuel Levinas was a Lithuanian-born French Jewish philosopher and Talmudic commentator.-Life:Emanuelis Levinas received a traditional Jewish education in Lithuania...
, Prof. André Neher
André Neher
André Neher was a Jewish scholar and philosopher, born 12, rue du Marche, in Obernai, Bas-Rhin. He was a student at the College Freppel in Obernai, then at the Lycee Fustel de Coulange in Strasbourg. He became professor at the College Erckmann-Chatrian in Sarrebourg, then at the Lycee Kleber in...
, Prof. Éliane Amado Levy-Valensi
Éliane Amado Levy-Valensi
Éliane Amado Levy-Valensi was a French-Israeli psychologist, psychoanalyst and philosopher.-Biography:Éliane Levy-Valensi was born in Marseille to a Jewish family. In 1930 she moved with her parents to Saint-Mande near Paris.She studied philosophy...
, writer Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
, writer Albert Memmi
Albert Memmi
Albert Memmi is a Tunisian Jewish writer and essayist who migrated to France.- Biography :Born in colonial Tunisia,from a Tunisian Jewish mother and a Tunisian-Italian Jewish father, he speaks Hebrew and Tunisian-Arabic...
and many others.
Meeting Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook
Zvi Yehuda Kook was a rabbi, leader of Religious Zionism and Rosh Yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva...
and Rav Baruch Ashlag
Baruch Ashlag
Rabbi Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag a Kabbalist, the firstborn and successor of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, author of "The Sulam" commentary on the Zohar...
who introduced to him the thought of their prestigious fathers, Rav Kook and Rav Yehuda Ashlag
Yehuda Ashlag
Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag or Yehuda Leib Ha-Levi Ashlag also known as the Baal Ha-Sulam in reference to his magnum opus, was an orthodox rabbi and kabbalist born in Łódź, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a family of scholars connected to the Hasidic courts of Porisov and Belz...
, influenced Rav Ashkenazi's thought and in 1968, following the Six Days War, he made Aliya
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, moved to Jerusalem and became a central figure in the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i-Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
community. He established Ma'ayanot Institute for Jewish Studies and Yair Center for young Jewish leadership after the manner of Orsay. He emphasized that Am Israel's return to Zion had been prophesized by the great prophets of the Bible, that it constitutes part of the cycle of Redemption
Redemption (theology)
Redemption is a concept common to several theologies. It is generally associated with the efforts of people within a faith to overcome their shortcomings and achieve the moral positions exemplified in their faith.- In Buddhism :...
in the history of the Jewish nation, and that the ones who do not participate in this movement miss one of the most significant crossroads in the history of the Jewish people.
He contributed to the field of inter-religion discourse, traveling yearly to Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, to the request of Cameroon's President Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
, who was interested in being acquainted with the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and the history of the Jewish people. He met with the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
, Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
's exiled leader, and held close contacts with many Christian priests, among which was Prof. Marcel-Jacques Dubois. He received many awards, among them the Israeli Knesset Award in 1990. In 1996 he died and was eulogized by Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ) was a prominent rabbi, posek and spiritual leader. He served as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993.-Biography:...
, Chief Rabbi of Israel.
Since he taught mainly in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, his thought remained concealed to Non-French speakers during his lifetime. However, following the translation and publication of his lectures in Hebrew, Rav Ashkenazi's thought continues to gain new audiences to this day. His disciples and colleagues, such as Rav Shlomo Aviner
Shlomo Aviner
Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Ha-Cohain Aviner is the rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Yerushalayim yeshiva in Jerusalem and the rabbi of Bet El. He is considered one of the spiritual leaders of the Religious Zionist movement.-Background:Ha-Rav Shlomo Chaim Ha-Cohain Aviner was born in 5703 in German-occupied...
, Rav Eliyahu Zini, Rav Uri Sherki, Rav Yehoshua Tzukerman, Rav Yossef Atoun, Prof. Benjamin Gross, Prof. Moshe Halamish and many more, continue to spread his teachings to Israeli audiences.
Rav Ashkenazi's Thought
Rav Ashkenazi's thought can be described as historical and existential query into the meaning of the identity of Israel, by extracting the existential meaning of the Biblical stories, unifying and clarifying the coherence of Jewish commentary tradition and explaining Hebrew concepts and themes through the use of universal terminology, striving to integrate two opposing worlds: traditional orthodoxOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Jewish heritage and Modern thought and values, while remaining loyal to both. This achievement was what drew wide and diverse audiences to his lectures. Rav Ashkenazi used traditional methods of Drash
Drash
Drash may refer to:* Midrash, a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text* Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter , a portable shelter* Alan Drash, pediatric endocrinologist* Ultima: Escape from Mt. Drash, a computer game...
to introduce new ways of understanding Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, while using concepts and ideas taken from Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, Midrash
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
, Hassidut and Gemara
Gemara
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Rabbi Judah the Prince The Gemara (also transliterated Gemora or, less commonly, Gemorra; from Aramaic גמרא gamar; literally, "[to] study" or "learning by...
.
Theory of Engenderment ("Torat Ha'Toladot" תורת התולדות)
Manitou's main effort was focused on understanding history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, in Hebrew 'Toladot' - 'Engenderment', through the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
, especially through the Book of Genesis, which relates the beginning of human history. The principles of this study were that the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is the centre and source of the faith, inspiration and power of the people of Israel, and that, since the Bible was transmitted by the Creator in a moment of historical epiphany, it constitutes the only valid overview of history and its purpose. In other words, history can be read and understood retrospectively only when reading the Torah, in the notion of the verse "This is the book of the generations of Man" (Genesis 5:1).
Indeed the first twenty generations of humanity present Human genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
on to Hebrew genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
; however, each generation in its turn also symbolizes a unique human identity
Identity (social science)
Identity is a term used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations . The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology, and is given a great deal of attention in social psychology...
which has meaning and relevance to modern life. According to this view, biblical figures are the origins of nowadays identities and situations and reappear throughout history on an individual
Individual
An individual is a person or any specific object or thing in a collection. Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Being self expressive...
, social
Social
The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and national
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
basis. The same is true when understanding the existential connections between father and son, teacher and pupil, and the conflict between rivals.
Thus, history is not simply a series of historic events, wars and cultural shifts, but of the metamorphosis
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation...
and stages of the human identity. Each civilization
Civilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
in its turn brings into human history the drama of the progression and development of human identity
Identity (social science)
Identity is a term used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations . The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology, and is given a great deal of attention in social psychology...
, until humanity is able at last to produce a 'whole' and moral human consciousness, which is the purpose of history.
Monotheism and morals
Rav Ashkenazi claimed that only when acknowledging himself as created, can man develop a true and firm moral agenda. According to kabbalic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
ideas, Man
Man
The term man is used for an adult human male . However, man is sometimes used to refer to humanity as a whole...
was created and put into This World
This World
This World may refer to:*This World, a BBC television documentary strand*"This World" *"This World", a song by The Dream Academy from the eponymous album....
in order to acquire the life he had received as a gift from his Creator
Creator deity
A creator deity is a deity responsible for the creation of the world . In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator deity, while polytheistic traditions may or may not have creator deities...
, achieving this by treating others with the moral dignity and ethical respect that such gift demanded. As Rav Ashkenazi applied a metahistorical
Metahistory
Metahistory: The Historical Imagination in Nineteenth-Century Europe is a historiography book by Hayden White first published in 1973.On the second page of his Introduction Hayden White stated:...
and ethical
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
terminology to Kabbalic
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
principles, he managed all the while to connect the abstract framework of Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
to the moral mundane activities of the Jewish believer. Monotheism
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
becomes the basis for morals, and morals are a crucial element of monotheism.
From Jewish to Hebrew Identity
The theory of Engenderment ultimately focuses on Jewish identity. Manitou discusses a 'Hebrew Identity', the heritage that constituted the continuity of the Jewish identity throughout history, since Abraham the Hebrew
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
, through Exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
when it transformed into a diasporic, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
-focused Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
identity which constituted the consciousness of the Jewish people for two thousand years, and until once again it transformed into a nation
Nation
A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history. In this definition, a nation has no physical borders. However, it can also refer to people who share a common territory and government irrespective of their ethnic make-up...
al, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i identity. Upon Kibbutz Galuyot - the return and gathering of the exiled communities in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the Jewish people has the opportunity to bring together the different 'ways of life', or the diverse identities it gathered during its Exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
among the nations, and begin World Peace within itself.
Publications
Hebrew- Sod Ha-Ivri (The Secret of the Hebrew Identity). Part I, Part II. ed. Gabrielle Ben Shmuel, Israel Pivko. Chava Bet El, 2005, 2009
- Misped Lamashiach?! (A Eulogy For the Messiah?!). ed. Israel Pivko, Itai Ashkenazi & Elyakim Simsovic, Chava Bet-El, 2006
- Sod Leshon Hakodesh (The Secret of the Holy Tongue). ed. Shlomo Ben-Naim & Israel Pivko, Chava Bet-El, 2007
- Sod Midrash Ha'Toladot (Midrash of the Engenderments). ed. Haim Rotenberg, Chava Beit El, 2009
- Midrash B'sod Ha'hafachim (Midrash in the secret of Opposites) ed. Itay Ashkenazi, Yediot Achronot & Bet Morasha Press, 2009
French
- La parole et l'écrit, ed. Marcel Goldman. Part 1: Penser la tradition juive aujourd'hui, ISBN 2-226-10844-0. Part 2: Penser la vie juive aujourd'hui, ISBN 2-226-15433-7. Édition Albin Michel, 1999.
- Ki Mitsion, Part 1 - Notes sur la Paracha; Part 2 - Moadim. Jerusalem, Foundation Manitou, 1997.
- Koginsky, Michel. Un Hébreu d'origine juive. Hommage au rav Yéhouda Léon Ashkenazi - Manitou. (A Hebrew Man of Jewish Origins, Rav Leon Ashkenazi's Biography). Éditions Ormaya, 1998
External links
- The Manitou Foundation, lessons and publications.
- Akadem conferences and lectures in French by and about Manitou.
- TouManitou, 1000 hours of lessons by Rav Ashkenazi in French and Hebrew.